The Results of an Experimental Study of the Acoustic Properties of Water-Saturated Sand in the –20 to +20°C Temperature Range

Abstract

The results of ultrasonic measurements using P- and S-waves on a sample of a fully water-saturated medium-grained sand in a temperature range from –20 to +20°C, viz., the dependences of kinematic and dynamic parameters of an ultrasonic signal on temperature, as well as on the elastic wave attenuation, are presented. The proposed method made it possible to calculate P- and S-wave attenuation on the ultrasonic frequencies for a wide temperature range. The value of the attenuation in the range of negative and positive temperature values differs by a factor of 40–50 for P-waves and by two orders of magnitude for S-waves. A smooth change in the attenuation from –5°C (–10°C) to 0°C was observed for P- (S-) waves. The attenuation that affects the dynamic parameters reacts faster to thawing of frozen ground than the velocity, which is more relevant in the case of plastic frozen rocks and at a temperature close to 0°C.